A/N: Hello everyone! I hope you all had a wonderful summer! As promised, I'm back with the next chapter to this story. Enjoy!

Rating: This chapter is rated strong T for sexual content.

Chapter 30: The First Temptation of Evelyn

Diplomacy: The art and practice of negotiations between nations. In the real world, diplomacy is an opportunity for nations to trade and negotiate the flow of goods, ideals, and services in the global community. But on the Upper East Side, dictatorship trumps diplomacy, as only the elite have access to the better end of the deal. While Queen J continues to rule with an iron fist, it looks like E and D are alone in thinking that diplomacy has any place in their world.

Evelyn ran her hand through the shaggy brown rug at the foot of Dash's bed. Dozens of papers surrounded her, all scrawled with notes and articles about China. Evelyn scrolled through the additional documents opened on her laptop, her chin resting on her knee. She was rereading the Millennium Goals set by the G20, and their failure to meet them.

All of this was in preparation for the Model United Nations Conference that was happening this weekend. Every year, thousands of high school students from thirty countries participated in a mock UN conference in New York City. It not only was a good resume filler, but it was a unique opportunity for Evelyn to get in touch with her research, public speaking, and negotiating skills. She wanted to make sure her resume was as well rounded as possible, and while soccer, band, and the community outreach community were good, she could use one more different experience.

She felt a light breeze graze her neck as a hand pushed her hair away. Dash's lips pressed against her skin, and she felt a shiver run down her spine. She stopped reading, as he continued to trail kisses up her neck, then along her jaw, making their way to her mouth.

"Dash," Evelyn protested. "We need to focus. The conference is tomorrow."

Dash planted one last kiss on the corner of her mouth. "Evelyn, we've been working on this for weeks with our team. I don't think one more night of studying will change what we already know."

Evelyn folded her legs together. "I know, but we have a big country. We are representing China tomorrow. People are going to be ready to attack us."

Dash brushed a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "And we'll be ready for a response."

Initially, it surprised Evelyn that Dash wanted to participate in the Conference. He paid little attention to diplomacy on a national level, but he signed up to be on the team as she did. Dash claimed it was about time to get serious with school and join an extracurricular. He claimed this was a good opportunity to try something new.

"Why don't you join other extracurriculars?" Evelyn had asked him.

"Because they never offer an extracurriculars that I'm interested in. Did you ever see a bowling team? I don't think so," Dash replied.

Now, they sat in Dash's room, the only space of silence they could find after school since both his dad and Ruby were out, and Ozzy was at swim practice. Evelyn looked up and noticed the shut door. He closed the door as soon as they arrived, and she kept wondering if at any point, it would suddenly open revealing one of his relatives. She jumped when she heard the floor creak underneath her.

"I think we need to study a bit more. We need to be as in tune with China's interests, culture, and way of negotiating as possible," Evelyn said.

"Evelyn we're good. Seriously. The other people on our team are way more experienced than we are. We can lean on them a bit," Dash said. His fingertips grazed her shoulder.

"But we should study something," Evelyn said. This was her first time participating in the conference, and Evelyn was undeniably nervous. There would be thousands of delegates tomorrow, and she knew they would be smarter and more confident than she was. It was the unknown component of trying something new that made her nervous in an academic setting.

"How about I study you?" Dash said. He turned her bewildered face to him and kissed her. His lips massaged hers, his hands running across her hair, until they found a grip at the back of her head.

Maybe she did just need to relax. And with Dash's lips hovering over hers, it was the best way to do it.

Dash pulled away first and smiled. He pulled Evelyn to her feet, and still remained a breath apart. She looked up at him and noticed that his eyes were hooded. "What are we doing?" she asked. She didn't know where to put her hands, so she kept them at her sides.

"Getting more comfortable," Dash said. He kissed her again, this time with more force. She felt her shoulders relaxing and arms finding his arms, tracing their way up his back.

The backs of her knees hit the bed, and they tumbled backward. Evelyn broke the kiss and squealed when her back hit the soft mattress. Her cheeks instantly turned red, and she began to laugh. Dash smiled, still hovering over her. "It's okay," he said. "I could have handled that better too."

He stared at her for a moment and bent down to kiss her again. Evelyn kissed him back, this time, his tongue finding its way in her mouth. She allowed it; it wasn't the first time, and she began to thread her fingers through his hair. His hair was so soft that her fingers fell through them easily. Dash pulled away and started to nuzzle her neck, kissing one area deeply, to the point where Evelyn felt a shiver of pleasure run down her spine.

When she opened her eyes, she saw that Dash was still crouched over her, still somewhat standing.

"Wait," Evelyn said. She pushed herself up onto his bed to the pillow. It was supposed to be more comfortable this way, no? She hid her nervous smile and looked away from him when she did this.

When she looked at him again, he was staring at her again. What was that look? She was still in her Constance uniform, paired with knee-high socks. His hair was dishevelled, tie loose, and his mouth was slightly agape. He licked his lips. Is that what desire looked like?

"What is it?" Evelyn asked quietly.

Dash shook his head like he was snapping out of a daze. "Nothing." He then hopped onto the bed and crawled toward her. "You just… you look really beautiful."

Evelyn felt her cheeks heat up. "Okay."

His brows furrowed in confusion. Okay? Her response to that was okay? That one look told Evelyn that she needed to think of a better way to handle a compliment.

She pulled him by the tie toward her, and kissed him with little hesitation. This seemed to do the trick as Dash moaned when she kissed him. He wedged his knee between her legs, and his hands ran over top of her button-down shirt. His hands grazed her breasts, down her pleated skirt, and teased to go underneath.

Evelyn gasped as his fingers started to crawl up her skirt. She felt a flurry of different sensations. His hand touching her felt good…really good, and she felt heat between her legs, slightly discomforting, but something she wanted to feel more of…like she needed relief. On the other hand, she wasn't sure how far this would go. How far she would let it go.

Evelyn couldn't stop herself from moaning, as Dash continued to explore her mouth, and his hands rubbing against her outer thighs felt amazing. Dash had one hand on either leg. They guided each leg to spread away from the other. Evelyn was clawing at his St. Jude's shirt, wondering what it would be like to feel her hands touch his skin. Skin that was uncharted territory.

Dash's second knee wedged itself between her legs, and Evelyn froze. Her legs instantly wanted to snap shut, but they couldn't. Her skirt was hiked up, Dash's weight shifted on her, and suddenly she didn't feel comfortable.

Dash's lips were trailing down her chest, as he was beginning to unbutton her shirt. Evelyn shifted, "Dash…"

He looked up, his pupils dilated so much that they were black. "Don't worry. We're just fooling around. I'm not going to do anything."

Dash continued to kiss her chest, unbuttoning her shirt some more. Her bra began to peek out under her white shirt. It was nude, simple, with no design. Her cheeks flamed. Why couldn't she have thought to wear something a little more…sexy? That's what you're supposed to do in these situations right?

Why was she thinking so much during this? She needed to relax. She was only kissing Dash. It was perfectly harmless.

Evelyn shifted her right leg so that it had less pressure on it from Dash's. She curled it behind Dash's back, and she heard him groan. So that was good? He quickly picked up her other leg and curled it underneath her other leg. Dash shifted to kiss her again, but instead she felt something different. Something much harder than she expected. Dash rolled his hips into hers. Her breath hitched in her throat, and she sighed.

And suddenly, she stopped thinking about anything except Dash doing that again. And he did. She moaned, throwing her head back against the pillow, her eyes closing. It almost felt too good, but she didn't want it to end. He kept himself pressed up against her, and she felt him there. She guided his mouth to hers, and kissed him with more passion than she ever had.

"You liked that, eh?" His voice was much lower now, pulling away breathless.

Evelyn rolled her eyes, refusing to give his ego any satisfaction. She tugged at his tie, ripping it off and unbuttoning his shirt. He was wearing a white undershirt underneath, but she still felt his arms, his collarbone, neck. He grinded into her again, and she moaned. Why did this feel so good?

She wanted him to be closer to him, and the clothing was becoming a barrier. His hands had found her thighs again, and this time they drifted to her inner thighs. They worked their way up, as she kissed his neck, wondering if this was the time you were supposed to leave a hickey, when she felt his fingers edge the tips of her underwear. She gasped, and bolted up.

Suddenly she saw clearly. What were they doing? She looked down to see her shirt completely open, skirt hiked above her hips, legs wrapped around Dash, and the mood faded abruptly.

"Dash…" Evelyn said.

Dash pulled his hands away from her, about to say something when they heard the door slam. Ruby's voice wafted underneath the crack of the door.

"Hello? I'm home!" She announced.

Evelyn pushed Dash off of her, and began to button up her shirt.

Dash chuckled. "Relax. She won't come up here immediately. She's probably having her coffee."

Evelyn checked her watch. "I should go. It's getting close to dinner, and I'm expected to be home." She stood, her skirt falling over hips. She adjusted her knee-highs that had fallen mid-calf.

Dash sat on the edge of the bed, legs sprawled. He made no motion to move.

Evelyn pulled her wavy hair up into a ponytail, hoping to mask any evidence that Dash's hands had been running through them. Then, she gathered all her papers on the floor and snapped her laptop shut.

"Did I do something wrong?" Dash asked.

Evelyn finished packing her bag and smiled. "I, uhh…" Did he? She hadn't even begun to process what just happened. "No. I just really have to go. Time just go away from us."

She kissed his cheek and moved to the closed door. She felt a gust of fresh air when she flung it open. "I'll see you tomorrow morning. I'll be by to pick you up at eight sharp. Be ready."

She didn't catch it when he looked down at his pants and mumbled, "I already am."

It had been a busy day at Bass Industries. Bart bounced around different boardrooms moving from meeting to meeting, as there were many development projects lined up for the coming year. As usual, there were always problems along the way that needed to be worked through. As Bart learned throughout the years, business was a process that required patience, and he had to remind himself of that fact when certain development projects seemed like they'd never be complete.

Bart approached his office, but was halted by his secretary.

"Mr. Bass? Your next meeting is already inside waiting for you," Clarissa said.

"Thank you, Clarissa," Bart returned.

Inside his office, Jack Bass was seated at his desk. His legs were propped up over the tall pile of file folders on his desk. He slouched in the seat, his lips pursed, as he read through what Bart assumed was one of his file folders.

Bart cleared his throat.

Jack looked up and swung his legs off the desk. "Brother! You're late for our meeting."

"I didn't know we had a meeting," Bart said.

"I arranged it with your assistant Clarissa a couple weeks ago." Jack adjusted himself so he was seated upright in Bart's chair. He looked at the large hand-written planner in the middle of the desk. He pointed at today's date. "See? Right here. Meeting with Jack. That's me."

Bart motioned for Jack to sit in the visitor's chair. "Let's get started."

Jack stood up and took the file folder with him. "Describing this place won't do it justice, so I took the liberty of taking pictures to show you what this place could offer. They're all in the proposal. This venture would help expand the Bass brand to the most unlikely of settings."

Bart flipped open the proposal. "You want the company to invest in Vietnam? Cambodia?"

"Just look at the development opportunities. It would be so cheap, and—"

"Jack, these countries lack infrastructure not to mention that they have volatile governments. This is very risky—"

"Slow down there brother. I'm not suggesting we immediately plant operations in those countries. If you notice, I recommend beginning in China, Shanghai specifically, and working our way out. Right now, the Bass Brand isn't providing much for Corporate Social Responsibility, so establishing ourselves in these countries, maybe creating infrastructure and jobs even, could look good on us. It's all there on the proposal."

Bart sighed. "I'll take a look at it, and we'll discuss it in a further meeting."

"Excellent. I'll be sure to pencil myself in with Clarissa," Jack said. He stood, buttoning his top button on his suit.

Bart's phone rang. "Hold on," Bart said, picking up the phone. "Yes?"

"Mr. Bass. Your next appointment is waiting in the reception."

"Thank you. Tell him I'll be with him in a couple minutes."

Bart hung up the phone and looked at Jack who was all packed up. "Another meeting?" Jack asked.

"Yes," Bart said.

"Well, I'll be on my way then. Oh, by the way, I ran into Chuck at the Palace a few weeks ago. He's a really good kid you know."

Bart's throat felt like it was tightening. "I know."

"I told him if he ever needs anything, he can always call his Uncle Jack."

"Did you now?" Bart said. His lips were white.

"Yup. Just making up for lost time. He really knows how to have a great time too. Anyway. I'll see you next week."

Bart watched Jack leave his office. Now he was hanging out with his children? Bart felt something rumble in his stomach. He swallowed, his mouth dry. Why would Jack want to get close with Chuck? How close were they? Bart's philosophy with parenting was to keep an eye on his children from a distance, but that didn't seem like a good option anymore. In fact, he wanted to forbid his children to not see their Uncle Jack at all.

As Bart called in his next appointment, he wondered how he could he possibly make that happen.

Ozzy's hand felt the slick white tile of the Constance and St. Jude's pool. His head popped up from the sloshing water. He inhaled deeply, removing his goggles. He looked up to see Coach Rodgers standing over him with a stopwatch in hand.

"A minute and four seconds," Coach said. "Nice work, Oscar. "That's your best time yet."

Ozzy pushed back from the wall and floated toward the buoys that separated the next lane. "Really?"

"Yes. Nice work. You can come on out. All of you come this way," Coach said. He waved all of the members of swim team to gather around him.

Ozzy hauled himself up the steps and toward Dusty.

I have to say, I'm really impressed with what I'm seeing out there." Coach said. "I really think we have a shot at the state championships."

"Aren't a lot of school scouts at the championships?" Dusty asked.

"They are. I think this is a great opportunity for all of you to make an impression," Coach said. "So long as you all continue the regiment we've been working on since the beginning of this year."

Dusty and the other teammates around Ozzy nodded. Ozzy looked at Dusty, whose eyes were focused, determined even. He hung on to Coach's every word. In fact, everyone looked very determined. Ozzy couldn't help but feel left out in that moment. Sure he enjoyed swimming more than anything else in his life, but swimming competitively? He wasn't enjoying it as much as he thought. He wasn't as invested in the competitiveness of the sport.

"Alright. We'll leave it here for today's practice. Good work, gentlemen."

Ozzy followed his other teammates to the showers. His muscles ached, and he felt more tired than ever. He hadn't been sleeping well the past month. Ever since Dash's birthday, everything was off for him.

The truth was, ever since he did coke with his cousin Thom, he hadn't been feeling like himself. He hadn't done it since, but he thought about it. A lot. When he did coke with Thom, he felt better than he had in months. It gave him such a release from everything that had been bothering him.

He thought about the lightness he felt when he was high that night. He felt like he was floating, except he was floating while his feet were firmly planted on the ground. If he were honest to himself, he would admit that he missed it.

Once showered, Ozzy quickly changed and slung his bag over his shoulder. Although his grounding had finally been lifted, he was still unsettled how present his mom now was in the house. Every time he turned around, she was there. He didn't like the feeling of being watched all the time now.

"Hey Oz! Great job today," Dusty said. He slapped him on the back.

"Thanks. You too," Ozzy said.

"You know, if we can win the relay at the state competition, we could get scouted," Dusty said.

"Yeah. That's pretty serious, huh? That means more for you as a senior right?"

"Yes, but it helps for juniors too. They'll remember you for next year if we win. Besides," Dusty said. "After I graduate this year, we'll be in need of a new swim team captain."

"Do you get to choose?"

"No. Coach does. But I have a pretty good idea who he's thinking." Dusty nudged his shoulder and wiggled his eyebrows at him.

The implication should make him happy, but he just felt hollow. Great. He could be swim team captain next year. So what? It didn't mean anything in the grand scheme of things.

"I gotta go, but I'll see you tomorrow," Dusty said.

Ozzy walked through the front gates and felt his phone vibrate in his pocket.

"Hello?"

"Hi Mr. Taylor. It's Stephen."

"Hi Stephen. What's up?"

"I think I found your father."

Blair sat beside the new members of the Locke and Key Society during their second official meeting. Blair had since learned that some meetings were formal, while others were informal. She smoothed out her new black skirt she wore overtop of cream coloured tights. She sat up straight and listened attentively as Kennedy guided the flow of meeting.

"This weekend, we're given an opportunity to attend the UN Gala. Every year, this gala is joined to the Model UN, but actual delegates attend the meeting. Thanks to Andrew, we have had the privilege of attending for the past couple of years. This year is no different. This is an opportunity to network, meet, and represent the name of St. Anthony well. Last year, this lead Sarah to a summer internship, so who knows?"

Blair perked up. She was certain she wanted to pursue law, but what better place to practice law was then to get international experience? She immediately began to make a plan of action.

"Once the Google form is sent tonight, please confirm whether or not you are able to attend the event. Any questions?"

The room was silent.

"Excellent. With that, meeting is adjourned." He slammed the gavel and whispering erupted in the room.

"Are you going?" Simon turned to ask Blair.

"An opportunity to mingle with the nation's most elite representatives of their delegations? Absolutely."

Simon chuckled. "What would they do if they knew you were Queen? You do know that diplomacy isn't aristocracy right?"

"I'll make them respect my authority….in time," Blair said.

Everyone got up and moved upstairs for after meeting drinks. Blair was handed a red cup of a mixed drink. She wrinkled her nose, but accepted it, even though she had no intention of drinking any of it.

Blair caught Julian's eye as he emerged from the basement door. He smiled and finished talking to his Vice President before striding over to Blair.

"What did you think of meeting today? It wasn't too long was it?" Julian asked. He'd checked in on her after Blair's first official meeting where she had no idea what was going on from the Latin readings to the addresses of each member who had a position in the organization.

"Tonight's meeting was very succinct," Blair said. "You have nothing to worry about."

"Good," Julian brushed his hair back behind his ears. "And are you coming to the Gala on Saturday?"

"Definitely. I wouldn't miss out on an opportunity to mingle with the elite."

"That is what Queen's do, don't they?" Julian smiled.

"Indeed."

"Well, if you want, I can introduce you to people since I've attended it for the past three years in a row. "

Blair's lips parted slightly as she blinked at him. "That's very kind of you."

He shrugged. "Considering the fact that you are my successor, it's really my duty to do this stuff. I need to set a good example so the others will follow suit, you know what I mean?"

Blair nodded. She was still too speechless at Julian's kindness to say anything.

"Good. We're all probably going together, so we can pick you up on the way at your residence. Is that okay?"

Blair stared at Julian's features. They were gentle really, sweet even. In some ways, it reminded Blair of Nate. Perhaps it was because of his lighter features, but he didn't seem dangerous to Blair. He seemed trustworthy, honest, sincere. But most of all, he seemed like a friend. Now that she didn't have mindless minions to lean on, she found herself looking for new people to lean on, and Julian fit the bill. "That sounds great, actually. Really great."

The UN Conference kicked off on Saturday morning with the opening ceremonies followed by the first briefing with the diplomat that actually represented their assigned country. In the briefing, the Constance and St. Jude's team discussed their position papers, policies, and asked any last-minute questions before the first session began.

As Evelyn walked through the UN building, everyone was suited in business casual attire. On the way to the conference room, she passed other delegations, and she overheard snippets of conversations of different languages that she couldn't recognize. It was so odd to know that she would be participating in such an event that was truly global. With each team she passed, she wondered where they were from, and how similar or different they were to her.

Evelyn, Dash, and their teammates from Constance and St. Jude's took their places in the actual UN Conference room. The tables for countries were set-up in alphabetical order, and their team was near the front of the amphitheatre lecture style room.

"Wow," Evelyn couldn't help but gap at the grand room, the very same room delegates from every nation in the room gathered to discuss issues every year.

"There's so many people," Dash said.

Suddenly, Evelyn felt the same jitters she did in Dash's room return. How were they going to keep up with all these people? They all seemed so intimidating with their own inside jokes, languages, and briefcases full of notes.

The first topic of the morning to be discussed was International Trade. China, being such a trade exporting country, had a very strong stance on this issue of encouraging more trade, especially with poorer countries in Africa. Evelyn kept replaying these facts of information that she had to think of in her head.

"Hey," Dash said. He put his arm around her back and rested it on her hip. "Are you okay?"

His hand felt hot against her hip. She looked around, wondering if anyone noticed and shrugged out of his embrace. "Yeah. Just a little nervous. Overwhelmed. You know."

"You have nothing to worry about," Dash said. "We've got a good team, and you know your stuff. You're going to be fine. Better than fine. And we're a team remember? You can count on us."

He looked at her very intently as he said this and squeezed both of her forearms. He was a breath away from her, they stood so close together, that anyone could tell it was an intimacy only shared by a couple. For some reason, Evelyn wondered if anyone saw this. Why did she care?

"Delegates, please be seated. We're about to begin our first session."

Evelyn nodded. "You're right. We got this."

Dash smiled. "Yeah we do."

He let go of her arms, and Evelyn felt relief. She sat down in the middle of their team, and she wondered why Dash showing his concern and support bothered her so much. Surely it was something else, but she didn't have time to discern what that could possibly be. Instead, she took her seat, and pushed all thoughts about Dash away.

Chuck awoke to the sound of a glass smashing against the floor. He scrunched his eyes further closed and groaned. Where was he? What did he do last night? Eyes still firmly closed, Chuck couldn't recall his latest evening of activities. From his throbbing head and limp body, he knew plenty of alcohol was involved.

When Chuck mustered the strength to sit up, opening his bleary eyes, he was met with the familiar purple walls of his suite. Well, the night couldn't have been too wild if he ended up here. His wildest night included ending up in stranger's apartments, usually in bed with a woman (sometimes multiple), or on the sandy beach. The wildest instant that he still couldn't explain to this day was when he ended up on a boat in the Mediterranean. He had no recollection of his evening, nor whose boat he was on—it was called the Saint Lauren—and when he woke he was stranded at sea. That one took a lot of explaining to Bart.

Chuck squinted to see his uncle, fully dressed, at the bar. "Jack?"

"Sorry for waking you," Jack said. "After last night, I thought it was my duty to take care of you like a responsible adult and prepare your hangover cure. This glass slipped from my hands."

Chuck noticed he was alone in his bed. His sheets were tousled; two of his pillows had somehow fallen on the shaggy white rug that framed his bed. "Thanks," Chuck said. Usually by this point, he was used to a reprimanding from Bart. He would lecture Chuck on his drinking habits, and being safe. Here his uncle was, being the complete opposite.

"Speaking of last night, what exactly happened?" Chuck said.

Jack chuckled. "I think you should be asking what didn't happen? We started off at Da Vinci's, and we found our way to Gentleman's choice, where you were given plenty of choices but ended up here alone."

"And you?" Chuck asked.

Jack smirked. It occurred to Chuck that it was the trademark Bass smirk that he became known for in school. "I made my choice. Poor girl is still sleeping it off when I left to see how you were doing."

Chuck gulped down the entire glass of water. On his bedside table, he noticed his phone was facing down. He picked it up, noting that it was five past noon on a Saturday. Through all the haziness, Chuck knew he was forgetting something, like he had something important to do, but couldn't exactly pinpoint it.

Instead, he saw that a new Gossip Girl blast was in his mailbox. He clicked it open and read:

Spotted: Blair Waldorf with a new man on her arm that isn't Chuck Bass. And who may he be? You better send me the deets to find out.

Blair was pictured walking across campus with someone who was definitely not Simon. He seemed older, established, esteemed even. Maybe Blair was telling him the truth. Maybe Simon wasn't Kennedy. If Chuck could place a bet, he would be all in in thinking that this guy was definitely Kennedy. What was he, the president of their little society?

Chuck dropped his phone in the sheets, a look of disgust crossing his face. Had he pushed Blair so far away that she was actually moving on with her little crew? How is it that they've strayed so far away from the central issue in the fall? If anything, Blair continued to prove that she wasn't trustworthy, but maybe that's all a part of being in a relationship. Maybe, you couldn't fully trust the other person. It has kept their relationship exciting, but maybe this was how these things worked?

Chuck had witnessed enough divorces on the Upper East Side to know that trust was a fleeting sentiment. It was always shifting, as relationships grew and evolved, so Chuck realized that he probably shouldn't expect anything more than that.

"What's that look on your face?" Jack asked.

"Nothing," Chuck said. "Just a Gossip Girl post."

"Didn't look like nothing," Jack said. "Listen, if you ever want a non-patronizing opinion that you would usually get from the parentals, you can talk to me about what's going on."

When Chuck locked eyes with his uncle, he saw that they were genuine and sincere. "Thanks, Jack. I'll remember that."

In the meantime, he needed a plan of action. The direct approach clearly didn't work, so Chuck knew he needed a different approach. First, he needed to size up his competition much more closely. He now had a greater understanding of the society thanks to Ben, his new P.I., but he needed to know more. Specifically, he needed to find out who this Kennedy guy is, and infiltrate from there.

Uh Oh B. It looks like C is planning to strike back. Better get ready with reinforcements.

Lunch was catered in the grand conference room where round tables were dressed with white linens, and a buffet line snaked through the room beginning at table one. The room didn't seem so overwhelming with all the delegates talking in groups all over the place. Most looked around and gawked at how luxurious and expansive the space was, but for the first time, Evelyn didn't find it so extraordinary. She felt that she'd seen grander ballrooms or conference halls. The room wasn't a spectacle; it was just a room.

Evelyn looked at the long table with name cards placed in single file to find her name. It was alphabetical, and she looked in the B section, while Dash looked for his last name in the M section.

"Table eleven," Dash read over Evelyn's shoulder when she had found her card. He looked around the room and tried to locate their table. "You know, we could go out for lunch, just the two of us," Dash said. "We could even take a ride in your limo…"

Evelyn dropped her arm, creasing the card in her fist. "No way. We were randomly selected to sit a table with other delegates. Let's go meet some new people."

Dash grimaced but followed behind her. Evelyn wasn't sure why Dash's suggestion bothered her. She liked spending time with him, but the more she thought about it, the more she wondered how much time they spent together. They texted constantly. They spent most afternoons afterschool together. Friday nights. Lunches too. Now, Dash's presence unnerved her rather than excited her.

When Evelyn arrived at table eleven, she was greeted with a boy with heavyset black-rimmed glasses who spoke quietly with a girl with long straight brown hair. She started laughing at what he said, her long hair, so long it touched the white robed seat cushion, flipped over her shoulders. Only then, did they notice Evelyn and Dash's arrival.

"Hello," the girl said. "Are you sitting at our table?"

Evelyn revealed her crinkled table card. "We are. Nice to meet you. I'm Evelyn Bass." She extended her arm in the way she observed her father did. Firm, forward, but with the smile on her face, also friendly.

"Nice to meet you." The girl got up to shake her hand. "I'm Kristen, and this is my boyfriend Alex."

Alex waved from his seat.

Evelyn, finally remembering Dash's presence behind her said," Oh and this is Dash. We are here representing China."

"Oh," Alex said. "You are the ones against isolationist policies."

"It's globalization. Get on board or get out," Dash said in his usual light tone.

Kristen giggled. "We're representing Uganda. Tough one, right?"

"Definitely," Evelyn said. She took a seat, and she felt Dash's arm wrap around her shoulder. Kristen's eyes zeroed in on the motion, and all Evelyn wanted to do was shrug him off. Why was he being so touchy?

"This is pretty amazing isn't it?" Kristen said. She gestured around the big room. "We've been looking forward to this weekend for months now."

"Where are you guys from?" Dash asked.

"Seattle," Alex answered.

"That's far," Evelyn said.

"Yeah. It was a five-and-a-half-hour flight," Kristen said. She squeezed Alex's arm. "But it was totally worth it."

They were soon called up to get food and as they waited in line, Kristen asked. "I'm sorry, but are you guys like together?"

"Yes," Dash said immediately.

"Oh my God, that's so great! Did you meet through joining the UN Conference team at your school too?" Kristen said.

"No," Evelyn said. "We met at a party actually."

"Your 16th birthday party," Dash added. "You spilled your drink on me."

"And you proceeded to hit on me," Evelyn said. She thought back to that night, the same night that ended in awkward disaster, and for the first time she realized that she never remembered that night in the greatest light, but the more she thought about it, it wasn't that bad. Some good can come out of the worst of times.

Dash raised his hand in surrender. "Guilty as charged."

Kristen put her free hand over her heart. "That's so cute!"

Evelyn forced herself to grin. As they walked back to their table, Evelyn noticed the other tables of people laughing, mingling, and talking. They all stood alone.

Kristen shook her out of her thoughts and said, "It's just so nice to meet a girl who also has a boyfriend at this conference you know? Especially with a boyfriend who isn't intimated to stand beside her."

Dash and Alex trailed behind them, and Evelyn gripped her plate more tightly. Kristen was right. She was so lucky to have a supportive boyfriend. She was lucky to even have a boyfriend.

So why did she suddenly feel resentful about it?

Spotted: E & D finding another couple to play with at the Conference. Birds of a feather do flock together don't they?

"So what do you think I should do, B?"

"S," Blair held her phone against her ear. "You know I love you, but if a guy can't dump his Birkenstock wearing girlfriend for you, then he's not good enough for you."

Serena was silent on the other end of the line. "But B, he keeps calling and texting—"

"If he doesn't have the guts to talk to you in person, then that's his problem if he misses out on you," Blair said. "Besides, if it gives you closure, maybe you should meet with him over coffee and discuss how you feel."

Blair couldn't understand how Serena could go on liking these lowlifes while going to Brown university. First it was a guy who lived down the hall from Kansas, then the townie bartender, and now one of the hipster RAs who had a girlfriend… who was also a hipster RA. She definitely had an eclectic taste in men.

"I don't know B. That could end up really badly. I mean, I live in the same building as this guy!"

"Then don't say anything and move on then," Blair said. She got up from her desk chair and opened her closet. She pulled out a red dress and draped it over her frame.

"Okay," Serena said. "I'll let you know what happens."

"Please do." Blair wrinkled her nose, not liking the bow on the red dress. She put it back into her closet, and picked up another black option.

"So, how are things at Columbia? Have you seen Chuck lately?"

"No, thank God. I've been busy."

Ever since Blair refused to give up her secret society club at the dorm party a few weekends ago, she hadn't seen Chuck much. Sure, he tried to follow her to St. Anthony Hall, but he had little success of deterring her. Now, she was a proud member of the secret society. She kept it so secret, she hadn't even mentioned it to Serena.

"Are things over, over?"

Blair closed her wardrobe and set the dress on her bed. "Until he 'begins to trust me' again, I doubt it. Whatever. I have better things to do."

"Like what?" Serena said.

"Like taking over Columbia," Blair sighed breezily. She wondered if she could tell Serena she was a part of the secret society. She never kept anything from her, and she had so much she wanted to tell her. The ceremonies, the prestige, the elite…everything.

"I thought no one liked you at your dorm?"

Blair rolled her eyes. "I never said that. I just decided to expand my horizons and hang out with people outside the dorm. It was becoming too incestuous."

"Tell me about it," Serena sighed. "Listen, B. I got to go. Talk to you tomorrow?"

"Over breakfast," Blair said. It became their ritual to call each other over breakfast and talk like they would when they'd have breakfast on the steps before school. It worked since neither had early morning classes.

Blair dropped her phone on her duvet and swung open the doors of her wardrobe. Tonight, she would be attending her first official event as a member of the Locke and Key Society. It was the UN Gala at the Hilton Midtown. As Blair stood outside her closet, she rifled through options. She wanted to look sophisticated and elegant tonight. As she picked out a long black dress, Joy appeared at the door.

"Hey," Joy said. She closed the door behind her.

"Hello."

"Nice dress." Joy dropped her backpack at the foot of her bed. "What's the occasion?"

"UN Gala," Blair said. She held the hanger against her frame.

"That's very fancy. How did you get an invite to that?"

"Through the society I've joined," Blair said.

"Which one is that again? The one you're in with Simon?" Joy asked.

"Yeah, that one," Blair said. She picked up a pair of peep toe Manolos and dropped them in front of her bed.

"Nice. Be sure to take lots of pictures"

Blair started changing and asked, "What are you up to tonight?"

"Nothing really. Just going to have a night in, catch up on my readings for my English lit class."

"You should do something," Blair said. "Sundays are great for reading."

Joy shrugged. "I dunno. I guess I can see if the girls down the hall want to watch a movie or go for ice cream or something."

"If this helps, they're playing An Education at the campus theatre for half price tonight." Blair, not one to ever look for a sale, only noticed the flyer because the colours reminded her of one of Joy's excuses for dresses. Regardless, it made her stop and think of her roommate who might be interested.

"They are?" Joy had mentioned that she wanted to see the movie for the past month.

"There were flyers all over campus. I think it starts at eight."

"Thanks, Blair!" Joy said grinning from ear to ear.

Blair saw Joy's reflection in the mirror attached to her door. "No problem." Blair had left out how she too was keen to see the movie. She just didn't have time for it with the society and all. It didn't matter. Blair slipped into her dress and continued to take her time and prepare herself. It was her first society event, and she wanted to show the world what they've been missing. She was ready to make a debut fit for a Queen.

After an afternoon of further negotiations, Evelyn finished getting ready for the UN Gala. It was business formal, and Evelyn had went shopping earlier last week with Lily to find a suitable dress for the occasion. Together, they found Evelyn an ivy green halter Valentino gown. She paired it with pearls Serena had given her before she left for Brown.

Dash was waiting for her in the ballroom, suited in a black tuxedo. His hair was getting a bit long for Evelyn's liking, long enough to the tips of his brown hair to be tucked behind his ears.

"Hey." Dash smiled when he saw her. "You look beautiful."

"Thanks," Evelyn said. She looked around the room, suddenly feeling overwhelmed with the thousands of delegates, UN representatives, and other party attendants. For the first time since she moved to New York, she felt very alone. She knew no one in the room, and it seemed like everyone else did.

"Are you looking for someone? I think I saw Alex and Kristen just walk in."

The mention of those names made her stomach clench. It wasn't that Alex and Kristen weren't nice, they were very friendly, but every conversation she had with Kristen always came back to Alex, and how she and Alex did this, and that, and something about it bothered Evelyn. She didn't have the explanation as to how though.

"No, I'm just taking it in. Lots of people," Evelyn said.

"Do you want a drink?"

"Sure."

They walked over at the bar, and Dash stepped forward to order their drinks. Evelyn's eyes wandered to three people standing to the left of the bar, a few feet away, laughing as they held their drinks. They all looked to be friends, having a good time. They probably either went to the same school, or had met earlier in the day. A part of her longed for one of them to look over and invite her over.

"And here's your drink," Dash said.

"What is it?" Evelyn asked. It was pink in colour with a couple of fruits, pineapple and melon, floating at the top.

"It's their special. I think its fruit punch." He took a sip. "Not spiked."

Evelyn took a sip of the drink. She kind of wished it were.

"So, I think we did pretty well today, don't you?" Dash said.

Evelyn looked down at her drink. The last thing she wanted was to talk or even think about the negotiating sessions. They didn't go badly of course, but they took so much out of her that she wanted to talk about something else, something new.

"Yeah. I don't know, I don't really want to talk about that right now."

"Okay," Dash said. They stood there as everyone else mingled or talked in large groups around them.

"Is everything okay?" Dash asked.

"Yes. Why?" She didn't even spare him a look. Evelyn watched everyone else walk around freely around her.

"I don't know, you just don't seem like yourself that's all."

"And what am I exactly?"

Dash stared at her for a beat too long. "Right now, I'm not sure."

Evelyn rolled her eyes. "I'm going to use the ladies room." She handed him her drink.

When she walked off, she felt freer than she had all day, but when she got the bathroom she felt bad. She shouldn't have lashed out at Dash like that. It's not like he did anything to deserve it. But why was she feeling this way?

She sat on the small sofa near the doorway and looked at herself at the full-length mirror on the wall in front of her. If she could, she would stake out in the bathroom all night in an attempt to figure out what was going on. Instead, she looked at her reflection, her brows tense, her eyes confused, and all she could ask was why. Things were going well with Dash yesterday…mostly yesterday. Why did things change now?

Instead, girls kept walking in and out of the bathroom in front of her. But then, one familiar face entered the room.

"Hey, Evelyn," Kristen appeared with her long hair braided and curled into a bun.

"Hey, Kristen" Evelyn said, her voice monotone.

"I was going to look for you, but we just got here." Without invitation, she took a seat beside her. "It was so nice meeting you and Dash at lunch today."

"You too," Evelyn returned. She struggled to spit the words out. What was it about this girl that unnerved her?

"When Alex and I were on the subway, we were saying how we'd probably bump into you two again."

And there it was. What unnerved Evelyn was that every sentence Kristen said always began with Alex and I. It was as if they were indivisible; they did everything together. Where one stopped and another began was completely unclear.

"Kristen," Evelyn said. "Can I ask you something?"

"Of course."

Evelyn paused to find the right words to ask her question. "I've just started dating Dash, and I wonder, has your life changed at all since you've started dating Alex?"

"Of course, it's changed, silly!" Kristen said. "My life changed in the best way possible, just as I'm sure it's like for you and Dash."

"Yeah, but do your friends have any resentment that you're with someone?"

"No. Though, they all are busy too because they have boyfriends too. Why is one of your friends giving you a hard time?"

"No," Evelyn said. "I was just wondering." She stood, her feelings finally making sense, and said, "I'll probably see you out there."

"For sure," Kristen chirped.

Evelyn's fake smile dropped when the ladies' room door swung closed and searched for Dash.

Spotted: a heart to heart in the ladies' room. Here's hoping E's better at giving advice rather than taking it.

The Hilton Midtown was dressed with the best linens, polished silver wear, and crystal glasses as diplomats, high school delegates, and other guests mingled in the marble hall that evening. Banners with the UN symbol dangled from the ceiling in rows, still. Blair took the scene in, impressed. She then removed her fur coat as Julian approached her. He was dressed and suited to impress, and he held his arm out.

"Hi Blair. So glad you could make it," He said.

"It's my pleasure," Blair said. She watched as high school students snickered, clearly ogling Julian and whispering to their friends. Meanwhile, Blair looked beyond his shoulder, trying to see if she knew any of the delegates who wore sashes around the room. She did her research before attending, knowing who represented which country, and what their initiatives and stances were. She was particularly interested in getting to know the United States rep, Nikki Haley.

"Is there someone you're looking for?" Julian looked over his shoulder to the general direction Blair was looking.

"Perhaps," Blair said.

"You know, I've been to this event for the past few years in a row. If you want to talk to someone, I could introduce you."

"Really?" Blair was sceptical that anyone would offer something so generous. She wondered what the implications were should he want something in return.

"Of course. This is what the Locke and Key Society is all about," Julian said. "Who do you want to meet?"

"Nikki Haley," Blair said.

"The U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations?"

"The only one," Blair replied.

Julian smiled and shook his head.

"What?" Blair said.

"I'm just not surprised that out of all people you would pick her."

"And what's wrong with that?"

Julian held his hands up. "Nothing! You're just consistent. It reminds me why I picked you in the first place."

Blair accepted his answer and followed him through the crowds of people. In the far distance beside a marble pillar, she could see a middle-aged woman with shiny black hair. It was Nikki. She smiled and nodded attentively to the man she spoke too, but what Blair noticed more intently was her Vera Wang emerald green dress. She saw it in the winter collection, and was even more taken with how well it fit and matched Nikki's skin tone.

As they weaved through the throngs of people, excusing themselves as they passed, one pair halted Blair in her tracks.

"Blair?"

Chuck Bass stood in her path with a blonde bombshell on his arm. She wore a shimmering gold dress, and her large smile, showing her rows of large pearly whites, disappeared when she looked at Blair.

"Chuck."

"Fancy seeing you here," He said.

"You too. Why are you here?"

"I was invited.." Chuck turned to Julian, his facial muscles controlled "I'm sorry, I don't think we've met. I'm Chuck Bass."

"Julian Cartwright."

They shook hands and the girl faked a surprised look when she laid eyes on Julian. "Julian? What are you doing here?"

"Mia?" Julian's eyes widened. "I thought you were living in Boston now?"

"I am, but I decided to return to New York for the weekend. It's a good thing I did—"

"Blair? Would you excuse us?" Julian said. "Mia and I need to have a talk."

Blair noticed that Mia was glaring at her. "Of course."

Blair turned to Chuck and hissed, "What did you do Bass?"

"Me? I didn't do anything. I think you should be asking what did your little friend Julian do."

"And he did what? Did you run a background check on him or something?" Blair said.

Chuck smirked.

"Oh my God!" Blair gasped. "I can't believe you. Why would you do this?"

"To show you that he can't be trusted."

"And you can?" Blair retorted.

"Now you know how I feel," Chuck grinned wryly.

"This is ridiculous. Julian was about to introduce me to Nikki Haley, Chuck. The United States Ambassador for the U.N."

"So? You don't need him to introduce yourself."

"Yes I do! You wouldn't understand. This could lead me to internships, opportunities—"

"Since when were you interested in humanitarian efforts?"

"That's not the point. The point is that you are meddling again, when I said I didn't want you too. Chuck, if you don't leave me alone, and pull another stunt like this, I'll file a restraining order against you."

"Please. You're being overdramatic. I'm just looking out for you. Why don't we get a drink?"

"No," Blair said. I have a mission tonight. I am going to meet Nikki Haley if it's the last thing I do. So in the meantime, go distract yourself with another brainless model, and leave me alone. I have a future to get back to."

Before he could protest, Blair turned away from Chuck and marched forward in the same direction Julian was leading her to a few minutes before. As she got closer, and leafed through the different bodies of people, she looked for the emerald green dress. When Blair reached the marble pillar, Nikki was gone.

Through the clear glass windows of Death Valley's Little Brother, Ozzy found Stephen sipping from a tall cup of coffee in the early evening. He didn't sleep all night. Instead, he tossed and turned while he imagined what his reunion with his father could look like. It was late afternoon, the sun was setting, and Ozzy arrived at the coffee shop, ready for answers. After ordering a croissant, he took the bag to the table where Stephen sat sipping a tall cup of coffee.

"Thanks for helping me out with this, "Ozzy said. He straightened the cuffs of his St. Jude's jacket.

"Don't worry about it, kid. Thank me after if you like what I have to say."

Ozzy swallowed, his saliva thick. He'd been waiting for this moment forever. He was about to find out who his father was. He didn't realize how much he needed to find his father until he felt the anticipation in this moment. He also didn't realize how scared he would feel in this moment. What could he expect his father to be? Or, what did he want him to be?

"Here's the thing, Ozzy," Stephen said. He revealed a file from his briefcase and opened it. Papers, photos, and scraps of paper were bundled together. "I've found your father. He lives in Guanajuato, Mexico currently, but he travels to the States fairly often."

"Okay," Ozzy said, the inflection of his voice made the word come off as a question instead of a reassurance.

"I contacted him directly, you see and…" Stephen trails off and his forehead creases.

"And what?" Ozzy said. He leaned over the table, and he could hear his heart beating through his ears.

Stephen sighed and avoided his gaze. "He told me he didn't want to see you."

Ozzy remained silent for a moment, processing Stephen's words. "…Doesn't want to see me?"

"He left me the following message actually," Stephen said. He peeled a scrap piece of paper from his stack. He cleared his throat. "I'm going to paraphrase, but he asked for you not to contact him again, as he doesn't want to see you."

Ozzy felt like he'd been punched in the gut, but he didn't want to stay down. "Why?" He relented. "Why did he say that?"

Stephen's eyes darted away from Ozzy's. "Um…"

"Do you know why?" Ozzy pressed.

Stephen nodded. "I don't know how to tell you this delicately., but…."

"But?"

"I think I have an answer to that for you. I think—no, I do know, that he explicitly implied that he didn't want to see you because he does not see you as his son."

Ozzy sat there motionless. He felt a numbness spread all throughout his body, and it paralyzed him. How could he be so stupid? Why should he have expected anything more than a complete rejection from his father? It was an odd feeling to not feel anything at all. He felt empty, his stomach hollow, his mouth slack.

When he finally found the words, he said to Stephen, "Well, Stephen, thank you for your effort."

"I'm really sorry, Ozzy," Stephen said. "Truly." Stephen looked at him with pity, and the first feeling Ozzy had was disgust. He didn't need anyone to feel bad for him. In fact, he felt a flash of rage wash over him.

"You're only sorry because you won't be making more on my case," Ozzy said.

"Ozzy—"

Ozzy grabbed his croissant, now forlorn. "Don't worry about it. Thanks for finding what you could."

Before Stephen could say anything more, Ozzy stood, his chair screeching against the tile floor. He turned, and walked with a furious pace to Philip's home. He pushed through neighbours walking their dogs without so much as looking at them.

When he pushed the front door open, he slammed the door closed.

"Hello? Ozzy is that you?" His mother called. She appeared in the hallway, Philip close behind her. Of course. Now she decided to act maternal in front of Philip.

Ozzy didn't say anything but begun to storm up the steps. He wasn't in the mood to play along with his mother's fantasy today.

"Is everything okay, honey?" His mother asked.

"Fine," Ozzy said without acknowledging either of them. The last thing he wanted was to admit was that his mom was right about his father, and that it was better that he wasn't in their lives. He collapsed on his bed, and for the first time in a couple years, all he could think about was escaping his life in every way, and it terrified and thrilled him simultaneously.

When Evelyn found Dash, she saw him walking towards her with a purpose.

"Hey, where have you been?

"The ladies room."

"For an hour?"

"I got held up," Evelyn said. "Can we talk?"

Dash made a gesture for her to continue.

"I'm sorry for the way I've been acting today. I know I've been acting weird, but I didn't say anything until now because I didn't really know why. Now I know."

"Alright," Dash said. "What's wrong?"

"I like that you support me for all of the things that I'm passionate about. You being here, signing up because I was doing this was very sweet of you, but—"

"You don't want me here?"

"No!" Evelyn said. "It's not that exactly. It's just…I don't want to become one of those couples that does everything together. Like everything."

"We don't do everything together," Dash said.

"Lately, it feels like it," Evelyn said. The absence of Jenny and the mean girls in her life have only magnified the fact that she spent most, if not, all of her free time with Dash. "Look, don't take this the wrong way, I really like spending time with you, I really do, but I just feel like we're doing so much together at once. I've always done things on my own, and I don't want to lose myself to you, and you to me."

"Is this about yesterday afternoon?"

"What? No! This has nothing to do with that."

"Are you sure? Because you left in quite a hurry when we were, you know…"

Evelyn sighed. "Yesterday…it was very new to me. I was a little confused."

"Did you not like it?"

"No! I mean, yes, I did. It's just, this, it's happening so fast."

Dash nodded with understanding. "Did you feel pressured—"

"No. Honestly, I did not know what I wanted in that moment. It just happened so quickly, and if we weren't interrupted—"

"No. I wasn't thinking we'd go that far." Dash insisted. "I just wanted to be with you. You know, fool around a bit. I think I got a bit carried away." Dash revealed a sheepish grin. "I'll admit, I couldn't help myself."

Evelyn couldn't stop the burn she now felt in her cheeks. "I think I did too," she said quietly.

Dash smiled and took her hands in his. "Alright. It's clear we need to set some parameters here. Know the rules."

"We don't have to be that strict," Evelyn said.

"Yes we do. Because I don't want my life to solely revolve around you either like Alex. No offence."

Evelyn giggled. "None taken."

"Okay, so how about date night is one day of the weekend, and the other can be to do anything with any friends or family?"

"I think that's fair."

"We can join extracurriculars if we mutually are interested in them."

"Agreed," Evelyn said. "I hope this one wasn't boring for you."

"You know what?" Dash said. "I actually grew to like it. The prep was boring and annoying, but when I knew what was going on, it was pretty awesome."

"See! What did I tell you?"

"And lastly, we need to tell each other what we want, or don't want sexually," Dash said.

"Okay."

"Which brings me to this. What are you comfortable doing with me like that?"

Evelyn couldn't stop herself from blushing. "I don't know. I mean, I know I'm not ready to you know…"

"I hear if you can't say it, it means you aren't ready."

"There you go," Evelyn said. "But I wouldn't mind exploring a bit like we did yesterday."

"Oh," Dash said.

"But I want to try setting the pace."

There was a flicker of desire that appeared in his eyes. "I can definitely agree to that."

"I'm serious Dash." Evelyn wrapped her arms around his neck. She was close enough to feel his breath on her face.

"I am too. That's why we're talking about this. You can trust me."

Evelyn leaned forward and kissed him. "Thank you," she breathed. Dash kissed her a couple more times and pulled away.

"Come on," Dash offered his arm. "Let's go meet people. If you're lucky, you might even meet Nikki Haley."

While most battles are necessary to win the wars, it's always the peace treaties that end them. Here's hoping E & D's negotiations makes their treaty last.

Chuck nursed a glass of scotch, as he watched Julian leave Mia and approached him. It was simple really. It only took his P.I. a few hours to figure out that Julian and his ex-broke up on not so friendly terms. As soon as Chuck called Mia and said he could guarantee that Mia spoke with Julian to work things out, she took his paid plane ticket to Manhattan immediately.

Didn't Blair see that Julian was bad news? His history of poorly handled relationships was proof of that. By the looks of Mia's pursed lips and crinkle between her brows, Julian did nothing to help the situation. And to think that this guy was almost going to be a father. At least Chuck knew he took care of his business.

Julian approached and leaned against the bar. "I take it, you were the one to invite Mia?"

Julian said it so matter of factly, that Chuck found himself being surprised by him. "You're welcome. I thought it would be a good favour for one of Blair's friends."

"It was a favour all right. I've been wanting to talk to Mia about our…stuff for a while now. I just didn't know how. Thanks for not giving me a choice."

"You're welcome." Chuck intended the words to come out as a statement, but with the way he intoned it, it sounded more like a question.

"So what I want to know is what your angle is. You show up here with my ex, trying to take me down in front of Blair. She's told me about you, and just so you know it's all purely platonic between us in the society."

Chuck took a sip of his drink. "Is it now?"

"Yes. Besides, I wouldn't abuse my position of power like that."

Position of power? It occurred to Chuck that Julian, a.k.a. Kennedy, was the President of their little club. That was why Blair wanted to be closer to him, to get closer to his power.

Chuck's shoulders relaxed at the thought. "Good. Because she wouldn't submit to that."

Julian smiled wryly. "Of course not." He swirled his drink and studied Chuck. "A little advice though? All of these games aren't going to win her back. You should talk to her. Like, really talk to her. She misses you."

"And how would you know that?"

"Although Blair's mentioned you to me, it's not hard to notice."

Chuck nodded. It was hard though. To make the first move to talk would be conceding, and Chuck was always too proud to give in. But as he turned and saw Blair mingling with what he assumed were more friends from her society, girls and boys, he remembered why he loved her.

When he turned back to Julian, he was swirling his drink.

"Sorry about not responding to your invitation," Chuck said to Julian. "I didn't find it until I came back from Christmas break."

"I see. We wondered why we didn't hear back from you. We heard about what happened with Skull and Bones last year, so we didn't think you'd be all that interested."

"You thought right."

"It's too bad," Julian said. "That kind of devotion to friendship is what we value with our society. Not all of them are like Skull and Bones."

Chuck gave them a sceptical look. "It's true!" Julian insisted. "If you're ever worried about what Blair got herself involved with, you don't have to. Honest."

Chuck drained his glass. "Thanks for the unsolicited advice." He set his empty tumbler on the bar. "It was a pleasure to meet you, Kennedy."

Julian's eyes widened slightly. "How'd you…"

"Blair might be good at keeping secrets, but I'm better at finding them." With his signature Bass smirk, he left a bewildered and impressed Julian behind.

Bart had arrived at the Gala with Lily on his arm. He was satisfied that the Hilton, which occupied a Bass Industries building, had secured the deal to host this event; it not only raised occupancy of the hotel, but also good publicity. As Bart walked through the ballroom, he was pleased that the event ran smoothly.

But as he scanned the room, he looked for his daughter. All week, she'd been talking non-stop about this event and how important it was to her, so Bart thought it would be best to surprise her with his attendance. He'd been so preoccupied with work, and Jack, that he didn't want Evelyn to feel as though he were neglecting her. That was the opposite of his intentions.

"Quite the turnout," Lily said. Teens zigzagged in front of them, behind them, and Lily held onto Bart's arm tighter.

"Indeed. Thousands of kids come all over the world for this," Bart said.

"It's a great opportunity," Lily replied. "It's also nice to see Evelyn back on track after what happened in the fall."

Bart couldn't agree more. Skipping classes was not in character for his daughter to gallivant all over the city. Now, she was back in school, with her impeccable record, focused on her future. He was not only proud of her, but also relieved that he didn't have to worry about her in that way. Chuck's teenage years were one thing, but he wasn't sure how he wouldn't handle that situation.

"That is, if we can see her." Bart continued to scan the room, but he could not place his daughter anywhere. "Would you like to walk around? I'd like to find her if we could."

"Yes, of course." Lily squeezed his arm.

Together, they walked through the throngs on teenagers, passed a few delegates to which they said hello, and continued throughout the room. But with each dark head of hair he spotted, he was disappointed to see it was another young girl.

"Maybe she stepped out?" Lily suggested. "I'm sure she's somewhere in the room." Someone began to approach Lily, and Bart realized this was his moment to escape.

"I'll go take a look outside. Excuse me."

He walked out of the ballroom and into the lobby to see many kids sitting on the furniture talking. Bart approached the seating area, to see a group of kids laughing. Some were standing, other sitting. Upon closer inspection, he saw his daughter among them. She was sitting, making it difficult to see, but she wasn't sitting on a chair. She was sitting on a boy's lap. Her arm was carefully curled around his shoulder, a vibrant smile on her face. The boy looked at her with adoration.

Oh no. He knew that look. And he knew that boy. It was Philip's son.

Before he could put together another thought, he approached the group, and Evelyn immediately noticed him. Her eyes widened, and she jumped up, excusing herself immediately.

"Dad," Evelyn said. "What are you doing here?"

Bart kept his eyes on Dash, who cowered when they made eye contact. "I came here to surprise you. I knew this was a big night for you."

"That's…"

"Surprising? I know. Is there something you want to tell me?"

She tried to begin her sentence a few times but failed. She sighed. "I think you already know," she mumbled.

"Evelyn, I thought we understood each other that we wouldn't keep secrets from one another."

"It wasn't a secret. I was going to tell you—"

Suddenly, Dash appeared at Evelyn's side. "Mr. Bass, it's good to see you." His voice quivered slightly, and his eyes searched for any sort of threat in Bart's eyes. All he encountered was stone.

"Dashiell." He nodded curtly to him and turned his attention back to his daughter.

"We'll talk about this later," Bart said.

Evelyn nodded. "Okay," she said quietly.

Bart returned to the ballroom, unable to get the searing image of his daughter with Philip's son out of his head. He thought he'd seen it all raising Chuck. The booze, money, prostitutes, jail. But this was a different kind of animal. An animal that was deceptive, quick, and lulling, all at the same time.

"What's wrong?" Lily took note of Bart's angry presence.

"I found my daughter with a boy."

"Ahhh," Lily said in understanding. "Do you know this boy?"

"Yes. Philip's son. I have no idea how long this has been going on."

With a knowing smile, Lily said, "Welcome to raising a teenage daughter."

It had been a couple hours and Blair still couldn't find Nikki Haley in the crowds of people. She stood at the front doors of the hall, overlooking the groups of people, most being annoying high school students pretending to be important diplomats. Blair also looked for another face in the crowd: Julian's. He was supposed to introduce her to Nikki, but ever since they ran into Chuck and Mia, he'd disappeared. In the sea of unfamiliar faces, she couldn't help but spot Chuck's immediately. He watched her as he spoke to a couple diplomats, but she quickly looked away. She needed to focus. Time was running out.

A tall, blonde figure passed by Blair that she recognized. Julian. She hurried behind his quick stride, and tugged his suit jacket.

His eyebrows shot up from surprise. "Blair." Then, immediate recognition crossed his face. "I was supposed to introduce you to Nikki," He sighed. "I'm so sorry. I've been distracted."

"It's no problem," Blair said. "We both know it was Chuck's fault."

His one hand curled around the back of his neck. "Not completely."

"Is everything okay?" Blair asked.

Julian stood tall. "Yeah. No, everything's fine now. I just had to confront something important with my ex, Mia. Anyway, I just saw that Nikki just left."

Blair couldn't hide the crestfallen look on her face. "Oh. She did?"

"Yeah. She used the back exit. I'm so sorry. "

Blair tucked her loose curl behind her ear. "It's fine." When she looked at Julian, he genuinely appeared hurt that he wasn't able to follow through with his promise to Blair. Blair couldn't help but notice that he also looked tired.

"What is it?" Julian said when he noticed Blair looking at him.

"You look like you could use a drink right now," Blair said.

His deep sigh evolved to a chuckle. "Yes. I definitely could. Come on."

Blair ordered a gin martini, and Julian looked at the beers before ordering a whisky. They clinked glasses and Julian finished his drink in one gulp.

"So, does Mia go to Columbia?"

"Yeah. She did."

Blair noted that used past tense. "If you want to talk about it, you can tell me what happened. A woman's opinion might help."

"It's a long story."

"Aren't they always?"

Julian grinned. "That they are. How about this. I tell you my story if you tell me yours. That way, we can both give each other our opinions."

"I suppose I can agree to those terms," Blair said.

"Alright. So Mia and I started dating last year. It was good yada, yada, until she started keeping secrets from me. At first, I thought she was seeing someone else, but it turns out she thought she was pregnant." Julian's shoulder's slumped. "She wasn't, but we disagreed on what we should about it thinking she was pregnant. If she were pregnant, I don't know how long it would have taken her to tell me," Julian finished.

"We haven't spoken since our last major fight, She wanted to get back together, I didn't. I just don't understand why she didn't want to tell me in the first place?"

"Maybe you gave her a reason to not trust you?" As Blair said it, she doubted the truth in that statement. She always had a secure feeling around Julian. He was no Chuck, who historically was a womanizer and partier.

"Nothing. I told her about the society and she came to many of our events."

Blair felt her stomach churn. He told her? Blair thought she wasn't supposed to tell anyone, and she took it seriously. Maybe there were exceptions?

"Anyway, enough about me. What's your story? Blair and Chuck."

"Chuck and Blair," She said with a small smile. "It's a similar story. I didn't tell Chuck about this society, and he lost his trust in me, and it just went downhill from there."

"So I guess we both can learn that no trust means no relationship," Julian said.

"I think you're right about that," Blair said. What happened between Chuck and her was nowhere near as serious as what happened between Julian and Mia. But maybe Julian had a point. She should have been honest with Chuck about the society from the beginning, and they didn't need games to keep things interesting in their relationship. Not anymore.

"It might be over between Mia and I, but I wouldn't give up on Chuck," Julian said.

"Why?"

"If this isn't the only stunt he's pulled, it's because he's afraid of losing you."

"But it keeps pushing me away," Blair replied.

"I didn't say the logic checks out, but I'm a guy, and I know how we do things. We're not always smart."

"Finally something we agree on," Blair said.

Julian chuckled. "I walked into that one didn't I?"

Blair nodded. "But it made me feel better, so thank you."

"Your welcome. Thank you for listening to the melodrama that is my life."

"It's a nice distraction from mine," Blair said. "Which reminds me. I have to get back to it now."

"And what are you going to do?"

"I'm not sure yet. Talk for a start. Be honest."

Julian nodded his approval. "Good luck."

It occurred to Blair as she walked away that regardless of his past, Julian was a good guy, and she was very fortunate to have him as a mentor.

"Are you ready to go?" Dash asked Evelyn.

"Yes. I'm just waiting for my coat." She handed over her coat check ticket.

Dash rubbed her lower back. "Did you have a good time?"

"I did," Evelyn smiled. "Despite the fact that my dad showed up randomly like that. Those Canadians were a lot of fun though."

It mortified her to know that her father had found out about her relationship with Dash in that way. She'll never forget the disappointment in his eye. It crushed her in that moment. She hated the fact that she could have settled this long ago if she only had listened to Eric.

There was nothing she could do about it now, but wait to be lectured when she got home.

"That they were," Dash agreed.

Evelyn took her coat and Dash helped her put in on. She buttoned her coat and noticed that Dash paused, starring at the doors.

"What is it?"

Dash blinked quickly. "Um it's nothing really. I just didn't know Jenny knew Thom."

"She doesn't," Evelyn said. "Why do you say that?"

"I just saw them walking out together."

Evelyn strained her neck to spot Jenny, but she was gone. How was it that she didn't even notice Jenny was here in the first place? Something about it unsettled her, it seemed almost sinister, but she knew she couldn't do anything about it now. They weren't best friends like they once were, but they were cordial now. Maybe she could ask her about it.

"Whatever. It's nothing for us to worry about. Come on," Dash laced his fingers with hers and they walked out the doors. Evelyn scanned the crowd, still trying to look for a blonde head, but saw nothing. She even noticed that Dash did the same.

They walked towards her awaiting limo, and Evelyn found herself savouring the moment. There was no talking. All she felt was Dash's warm hand in hers. It was almost peaceful how she didn't feel the need to fill the silence. She felt just as close to him without saying a word.

When they reached the limo, Evelyn asked, "Are you sure you don't want a ride?"

"Positive. My dad sent a car, and I should actually use it for once." He opened the door for her, and Evelyn spun around to face him.

"Goodnight, Dash."

She cupped his cheek and guided his lips to hers. It started off as an innocent kiss, sweet even. But Evelyn drew her other hand to cup his other cheek, and opened her mouth to feel his warm tongue tangled with hers. There was no dominance to be had. They both had figured out what the other wanted.

Dash kept his hands on her waist, and all Evelyn could think of in that moment was how much she wanted them to wander. She remembered the thrill of his hands feeling underneath her shirt, inching their way to her breasts, her thighs. She remembered the feel of him against her leg. She didn't admit that to herself, but that was what was happening yesterday afternoon. She was too terrified to admit how much it all excited her, that she wanted to explore more.

She was tempted; tempted to pull Dash into the limo and set a frantic pace. It wouldn't be too difficult with Dash. They continued to kiss, her hair tangling in his hair, his hands falling to cup her bottom when it was Dash who pulled away.

"Are you trying to torture me?"

She giggled. "No. I'm a good girl remember?"

Dash scoffed. "I'm beginning to see that that's not completely true. We said we'd take this a bit slower, no?"

She didn't miss the hopeful tone that inflected the question in his words. Maybe she was just being too scared of what it would mean to be with Dash completely. Everything she felt in the moment was intoxicating. It was enough to know that she could lose herself readily if she invited him into her limo right then and there. A part of her that she was ashamed of wanted it desperately.

"You're right," Evelyn said. She gave him one more kiss, her lips warm and parted. "We are…I just wanted to give you something sweet to dream about." She unwrapped herself from his tight embrace, but he didn't let go of her willingly. Dash groaned and squeezed her bottom before letting go.

"Yeah sweet dreams, that's what I'll be having." He took a few steps back, his genuine smile radiating.

Evelyn closed the limo door and leaned her head back. She realized that in the past couple of days, Dash opened a new door, where the greatest high one can feel with another person existed. And now, because of restraint or hesitance, she wasn't sure which one, she waited in the doorway.

It was the first night in over a week where it wasn't raining. Instead, a strong breeze whipped through the streets. It was a breeze so bitter that it could be felt to the bone. Ozzy wandered these streets, his hands clenched in his pockets, and nose tucked under the top collar of his coat.

He had to get out of the house. It was beginning to suffocate him, from the smell of rotting wood of the wall panels, to the constant performance that he had to witness from his mom at the dinner table, to the need to keep up with school and swimming, it was all beginning to be too much.

He wanted to thrive in New York. Instead of doing nothing and being angry at everything, he wanted to do something. But he didn't realize that once you did well, it became an expectation. Not only that, but people started to care less about you and more what you can do for them.

But if he were to be honest with himself, this ideal was something he witnessed Evelyn do so effortlessly. She did exceptionally well in school, sports, had friends, and managed to balance it all. And now, she had a full family who loved her, a father who wanted her.

When they became friends in Connecticut, she inspired him, but now he was resentful. How was it fair that she had it all? He did everything he was supposed to do; wrote out the same equation, so why was he getting different results?

Ozzy's hands clenched tighter in his pockets. It was a Saturday night, and here he was wandering New York by himself. He liked the silence, but he knew he wasn't supposed to be alone tonight. He should be at a party, or at a movie with friends or with a girl, but he wasn't doing any of those things. What was wrong with him?

Or more importantly, why didn't his father want him? That was the real problem he was trying to work through while he walked. He felt so many different emotions, but he struggled to find the words. How could a father reject a child like that? What was so repellent of him that his father didn't want him.

He had no answers to these questions that made his mind spiral. He skipped dinner, he lost his appetite after his meeting with Stephen. With his shoulders slumped, he didn't see any of the faces that he passed. He bumped shoulders, but noticed the grey slushy snow pushed to the curbs of the sidewalks. He saw a glove and an abandoned boot along the way.

"Hey Ozzy!"

He kept walking.

"Ozzy! Ozzy!"

A hand clamped on his shoulder and whirled him around.

"Thom?"

"How's it going cuz?" Thom slapped his back. He was dressed in an Armani suit, complete with a overcoat and scarf. He hair was parted and gelled. Behind Thom, Ozzy noticed that he had found his way to the Hilton hotel.

"Its…fine," Ozzy said. He didn't have the energy to lie about his state right now.

"Did you just get to the event now?"

"What event?"

Thom chuckled. "So that's a no. I was talking about the Model UN Gala."

Ozzy vaguely remembered Dash mentioning it. He was probably in there with Evelyn.

"Which is a snoozefest let me tell you," Catherine Baizen said appearing from behind Thom. She threw her arm around Thom's neck. "Hey Ozzy."

"Hi Catherine," Ozzy said. He was still a little ashamed for how he left things with Catherine, but she looked at him without anger. She didn't seem to carry any resentment for how he had left their relationship in the fall.

"Definitely. Too many overachievers for my liking, but business comes first," Thom said.

"Agreed," Catherine echoed.

"So who's up for an after party?" Thom said.

"You know I am," Catherine said.

"Ozzy, how about you?" Thom looked at him expectantly.

Ozzy's unclenched his hands and removed them from his pockets. "Why not?"

Chuck had to look behind him when he saw Blair approach him. He stood in the Hilton's grand foyer, watching many high school students with their coats on, ready to retire for the evening. No one stood behind him, and Chuck realized that Blair walked towards him with purpose for the first time in months.

"Chuck." Her voice was soft, intimate, and it reminded him of the times she called his name to wake him up in the morning to make love.

"Blair," Chuck said. He wanted to ask where Julian went, but he knew there was no reason to be spiteful. Julian wasn't competition to him, but he was no friend either.

Her shoulders slumped. "Why do we do this?"

"Do what?"

"The games. The manipulation—"

"The dishonesty?"

Blair looked him in the eye and said, "That too."

"I don't know," Chuck said. "I guess we're not as grown up as we thought."

"Chuck," Blair licked her lips. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you about the Locke and Key Society, and for manipulating you. You're right. We are on the same team. Always."

Chuck nodded. He tried to look for a lie, to see if this was all a ruse to get him back, surely it always was between them, but all he saw were sincerity in her beautiful doe eyes, kissable heart shaped ruby lips, and he knew he forgave her. How could he not?

"Apology accepted," Chuck said. "And I'm sorry for trying to make you quit your society. It's not that I don't want you to have any interests outside of our relationship; I was just wary of them. I didn't exactly have the best experience with Skull and Bones, and they were an all-male society."

"You have nothing to worry about, Chuck," Blair said. "First of all, it's not a fraternity, thank God, and second, I think this society will help me be with the elites where I should be."

"Only elites?"

"Duh. Why would I waste my time with anyone else?"

"Not even your roommate Joy?"

Blair rolled her eyes. "That's only out of necessity and pity."

They both laughed, and Chuck felt lighter than he had in months. How could they have let something so small and insignificant create such a long battle? Chuck watched Blair laugh, her mouth curling into a smile, and he didn't realize how much he missed it.

"Did Julian leave?" Chuck asked.

"I don't know. I left him to come talk to you. Why, are you jealous, Bass?"

"Of him? Of course not."

"Really?"

"Yes. Although, it wouldn't be the first time you chose someone of better breeding, reputation, and blonder hair over me as your date."

"But I thought being Chuck Bass trumped all of that?"

"Maybe." Chuck grinned wryly. "But I'm not Chuck Bass without you."

Blair smiled and walked right into his waiting arms. They kissed, and Chuck knew where to put his hands, how to capture her lips, when to pull away; it was as if they they'd been doing it for years.

"I missed you," Blair said breathlessly.

As their foreheads touched, Chuck didn't hesitate when he replied, "I missed you too."

What we can learn from this weekend of diplomacy is that while monarchy still reigns in our world, its maintains the status quo, while diplomacy can help us make our world a fairer place. It allows us to talk to one another, negotiate what we're comfortable with, and find agreement in the most civil of terms. And that's why we need diplomacy. If we can't hear each other, or know what the other wants, we can never keep a stable relationship. It may not be as exciting, but it is certainly more effective.

You know you love me,

XOXO Gossip Girl

A/N: And there you have it! Dash/Evelyn's relationship is progressing, Chuck and Blair have reunited, Ozzy has finally received an answer regarding the whereabouts of his father, and Bart has finally found out about Evelyn dating Dash! Quite a busy chapter, wouldn't you agree?

Now, what's next? The next chapter will be titled: Crazy, Cupid, Love. It will be a Valentine's Day themed chapter, and I should have the chapter posted within the month if all goes well. I'm trying to keep a tight schedule now, so its full steam ahead with this story!

As always, thank you so much for the love and support for this story. I really hope you enjoyed your summer and this chapter, and I can't wait to hear what you think!

Till next time,

XOXO EZ11